Hello

I'm full of Monk love at the moment having just finished re-watching/watching every episode from the pilot up to "... on the run, part 2" and I want to play! I've been thinking about the episodes which are my current favorites and why and the ones I'm less keen on, and the reasons why so thought I would share my views.

This is not the definitive list of my all-time favorite episodes, more my current view... however one factor I've never, ever been disappointed in, is Tony Shalhoub's performance. Consistently brilliant.

Current top 3 most-liked
Mr Monk takes Manhattan
Why?
Not many shows can move out of their home environment and still retain the magic and essence of the show but Monk does. All my favorite elements are in this story, Monk out of his comfort zone with the gang in tow, brilliant who-done-it to resolve and we find out a bit more about the mystery surrounding Trudy's murder

Mr Monk and the sleeping suspect
Why?
Loved the mystery, just a great storyline and when Monk goes a bit deaf after the explosion and starts shouting about puppets, just so funny and beautifully performed

Mr Monk goes to Vegas
Why?
Good all-round episode, working in a solid mystery, story lines for all the gang, fun turn from the guest star and we learn something new about both Natalie and the Captain

Current top 3 less-liked
Mr Monk and the cobra
Why?
The buried alive story scares me silly and the latter part of the episode goes to some dark places. Also, although I think Natalie is right about needing expenses reimbursed, she comes off as mean to Monk when he seems especially vulnerable

Mr Monk bumps his head
Why?
The storyline never reached it's full potential and the over-styled wardrobe for Laurie Metcalfe went a touch too far with the terrible false teeth. She looked like a cartoon.

Mr Monk goes to hospital
Why?
A weak season finale, didn't move much forward in terms of plot and character (well, I guess you could argue that Monk and Natalie's working relationship had become more intuitive) and didn't provide an incentive for new Monk fans to tune into the next season (not that this was a problem for me!)

Now you!

Welcome to the Board, Goodbye girl!

I love:
1. Mr. Monk and the Kid
2. Mr. Monk and goes to Manhatten
3. Mr. Monk and... I don't know there are so many.

I don't like:
1. Mr. Monk and the Earthquake
2.
3.

So much for decisiveness!

I could share your list, M1, and add Mr Monk and The Rapper at the don´t like part.

Mi

mr monk and the cobra a bad episode????

Waaaaaa

IMO that is probaly the best natalie episode of that season. I love the trudy/monk sequence. It was a beautiful scene also it was funny seeing natalie messing with monk. Plus at the end when he gave up a piece of trudy by giving up the office.

My three favorites are:

1) The Panic Room--too much to like. I couldn't stop laughing when Stottlemeyer was in the interrogation room trying to make the monkey shoot the gun, all the while Monk, Randy, and Sharona are trying to tell him he has the loaded gun. Then there's the scene with Monk in the Panic room....panicking. There's a huge hole in the door, Stottlemeyer is talking to him, and he has the "Open" button on his side of the door--still Monk goes off the rails. Then the scene with the monkey tearing up Monk's apartment. This episode is a laugh-riot from start to finish.
2) The Red Herring--the scene in the uterus. rofl. They never even make it to the fallopian tubes. "I can't go up there! I don't even know this woman!"
3) Gets Fired--The toupee scene and the infamous jig. This whole episode is worthy of my favorites based just on these two scenes alone. Hilarious.


Least Favorites:

1) Goes to a Concert--that music, sorry--guess I'm too old. I have to mute three minutes into it. And that Chris Kedder guy--pompous, arrogant. I wanted to run him over with my car.
2) Biggest Fan--I'm sure I'll catch lawn darts in my forehead over this one, but I can't stand Sarah Silverman. She grates on me. She played the part well, I just can't stand her. I'd have enjoyed the episode much more if she had been playing a murder victim.
3) The Other Detective--the guest star is the hangup for me on this episode as well. Can't stand Jason Alexander. I have it narrowed down to two things: everything he does, and everything he says. I'd love to cover him in barbecue sauce and shoot him through Delta Burke's front window with a great, big slingshot.

Thanks for the responses, I find what hooks Monks fans into episodes so interesting. It was hard to pick just 3 for each list, I could bang on forever about Monk, I love it so much but I hope the writers don't read this, as my list seems to be hung up on seasons 1 - 3. I found seasons 4 - 5 a bit patchy in places, and it also took me a while to get over missing Sharona, but I thought season 6 was fantastic.

'... and the Cobra' episode is so well written and the scenes between Trudy and Monk are so moving I sometimes find them harder to watch then the buried alive parts. Nope, scratch that, the buried alive scene (especially when the lid is opened at the end, just knowing that Tony had to have been enclosed for even a short while) just makes me fidget.

I'm with Yvette88 on the guest stars - I won't be sharpening my lawn darts as the 'Biggest fan' ep isn't on my favorite list. Although I quite liked Sarah Silverman, loved the 'clue hug' stuff and Monk teasing Natalie over the troll doll, I couldn't suspend disbelief around the mystery part and the dog teeth cutters.

I'm not mad keen on '... and the Rapper' but Snoop Dog's re-working of the theme tune is jingling around my head. I think the end part when Snoop raps out the 'here's what happened' part was too gimmicky, but Randy's comic foil balanced this out - a bit.

'... and the Kid', so tender and so much heart; '... and the Panic Room', love Monk sliding toward the floor, completely straight, wigging out whilst the Captain looks on, exasperated before finally hitting the button himself to open the door.

I think I missed out '... and the Earthquake' on my rewind, that's the one with Sharona's sister and when Monk starts speaking gibberish? Will watch that this weekend - thanks for the reminder!

Was going to say red headed stranger...but that is not recent
the one where mr monk is the security guard at the bank. one of my recent favorites

Mr monk is up all night.....weak storyline, emotionally trying.

ooooh, 'Red Headed Stranger', one of the first Monk episodes I watched. I realised this guy had big problems when he missed the chance of a lifetime to play with Willie Nelson because of the used instrument - fond memories of this one.

Agree with the assessment of 'Up All Night'. Dragged for me, but liked the ending. In the commentary, the original script had Monk tasting the donor recipient's tears (sorry can't remember her name). That would have been a bit ick for me!

Three favorites:

On the Run -- am counting both together so I can sneak two in there. This really upped the drama, and it blew me away. Yeah, and the whole kissage and hug thing.

Red Herring -- a big Natalie fan. This whole episode was really great -- so was Election.

Garbage Strike -- the whole Alice Cooper and the chair bit -- laughed my head off.

And the Kid -- yes, I know it's four -- sue me. I can't leave this one out.

And I could name more....

Three less liked:

Rapper -- not a rap fan.

Man Who Shot Santa -- mystery was weak -- Monk should have never been stumped with this one.

Takes a Punch -- no, I haven't seen it yet, but I'm holding this spot open for it, since I really don't like the obligatory boxing episodes. If they surprise me and make it good, I'll give this spot to Rock Concert.

Top Three

1. Mr Monk Can't See A Thing
2. Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike
3. Mr Monk Goes Home Again

Honorable Mentions include: Mr Monk and the Airplane, Mr. Monk and the Kid, and Mr Monk and the Employee of the Month

Bottom Three

1. Mr Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf
2. Mr Monk and the Class Reunion
3. Mr Monk Meets his Dad

Oh this isn't fair. It's like having to pick your favorite child.

I do know that Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan is one of my all-time faves. The scene with Monk in the hospital room with the dude who made the bomb that killed Trudy is a heartbreaker. And the scenes between him and Stot are expectional.

One episode I have a hard time watching is Mr. Monk Is On The Air. Besides the fact that it was just flippin' cruel of the DJ to tear Monk apart with his rude words about Trudy's death, I didn't like the whole premise of this DJ training a dog to commit his murder. That was a little too far fetched for my liking.

Yeah, I'm not so keen when Monk is being humiliated or ridiculed in such a cruel way, so I find '... finds a friend' a bit uncomfortable to watch but that's nothing compared to the '... on the air' episode, I have to fast forward through some scenes, including when Monk is reading out Kevin's 'jokes' - cringe!

'the girl who cried wolf' is just too dark for me and quite gory, but I LOVED his temporary nurse - would like to see her come back. Loved Monk in his white suite in the 'Garbage' ep and Alice Cooper was a hoot but the best thing was seeing how the Captain came to Monk's rescue - real love and understanding.

Am in 2 minds about '... meets his Dad'. Not sure the close age gap was pulled off, but I wanted so much more from this story, not least the inclusion of Ambrose. The bike thing at the end, cute or not cute? Bit of a contrived way to show parental bonding.

'Employee of the month', really strong story, great turn from the guest star and more back story on Monk before Trudy's death.

Come to think of it, there are quite a few characters I'd like to see returning: Kevin, all the actors who have played Dale the Whale (minus the heavy face make-up), the stand-in nurse, his date from '... and the blackout', the psychiatrist from '... the asylum' whom Monk said was the best Doctor he'd had, Tommy the kid, Ambrose, the Captain's wife, Monk's ex-cop partner, Randy's model wallet girlfriend, Monk's dry cleaner and the No. 8 Inspector!

My top 3 and this is ridiclously hard.

1. mr monk gets a new shrink
2. Mr monk is on the run.
3. Mr monk and the dale the whale.- It is the first time we meet dale. Love the way they solved the case and we learn what bread and butter is.

Just had to give honorable mention to

Mr monk goes to jail and then mr monk goes to manhatten. Both well done episodes.

My bottom 3 which I am little suprised in some of the posts above.

1. Mr monk and the dentist- Didn't really care for it that much. Not bad but, nothing spectacualr. Plus had to hear randy's horrible singing.
2. Mr monk and the girl who cried wolf- The whole plot was pretty dumb. Granted I did like the fact that for a sec Sharona thought adrian had literally drove her crazy concept. However the reason why the couple did it to me was just silly.

3. Mr monk and astrounaut- I just hate how monk was just picked on in that episode.

Top 3 Likes:

1. Mr. Monk on the Run (Both Parts)
2. Mr. Monk and the Kid
3. Mr. Monk and the Red Herring

Top 3 Dislikes

1. Mr. Monk and the Other Detective
2. Mr. Monk is on the Air
3. Mr. Monk goes to the Dentist

I have the same feeling. Hard to pick up just three favorities. And there are not episodes, which I wouldn´t watch. No episode irritates me so much.

but let´s try. First the favorities.

1. The Kid
I cannot help, one of my all-time favorities! How Adrian interacted with Tommy, and how the little boy, who was just like little Adrian, made Adrian forget some of his phobias because he had to take care of the child. The end was so sad, although it was somehow obvious, that Adrian couldn´t keep Tommy.

2. On the Run I-II
I put them together like Bflogal, they are not different episodes IMO, they belong together. Great acting, great drama.

3. Takes the Manhattan
I just like. The gang was great in the divergent place, Monk got lost in NY, and the hospital scene, you just kept breathe, that what Adrian was going to do with the bad guy.

4. The Three Pies
I like Ambrose, I would like to see him once again. Mr Monk and his brother were together, arguing and then making the peace. Adrian saved his brother´s life, and at the end they were together at Trudy´s grave. Just great!

Oh, no, there is four. I just can´t help it. But four is such a even number.


And the "less-liking"

1. The Other Detective
This was a bit weak plot. Stottlemeyer was not fair to Monk, when he believed the other detective, although Monk said that the man was cheating and Leland knew, that Monk is always right. I couldn´t comprehend, why captain didn´t believe Monk. and then Monk let the other man got all the honour. It wasn´t fair.

2. The Big Reward
A far-fetched plot. Somehow it wasn´t my taste. Too much running, too many detectives.

3. I don´t know which to put this - or I know now. Definitily On the Air
The dj makes me sick. I hope he breaks his neck. Just cannot stand the arrogant type. He was not funny at all. He treated Adrian so badly, I just hate it. And the sad home videos from Monk´s childhood. This episode is almost too much to watch again.

Now I haven´t yet seen all episodes, but let´s pretend that I have.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It's funny how we all pretty much have the same choices. I too disliked the 'other detective' episode as well. I could not stand the Jason Alexander character. That character and the DJ were my least favorite guest roles.

I agree with many of you. It is hard to choose. My decidophobia prevents me from choosing only three favorites.

Favorites:

1. Mr. Monk and the Kid...This is my absolute favorite. I love how Monk interacts with Tommy. My favorite funny scene is the 9-1-1 call, and my favorite dramatic scene is the last scene where Monk is playing with and saying farewell to Tommy.
2. Mr. Monk is on the Run (Parts 1-2)...I loved the comedy mixed with the drama.
3. Mr. Monk and the Airplane...This was too funny.
4. Mr. Monk and the Red Herring...I loved getting to know Natalie.
5. Mr. Monk Gets a New Shrink...We got to see another side of Dr. Kroger.
6. Mr. Monk and the Employee of the Month...We got to learn about Monk before the tragedy.
7. ...I could keep going, but I will stop before the list gets too long...There are so many others.

Least Favorites: Although these are some of my least favorites, there are still elements I like in each episode.

1. Mr. Monk is on the Air...The DJ was too mean, but I like how Monk stood up for himself and Trudy.
2. Mr. Monk and the Man Who Shot Santa...Two great Christmas episodes were made, and this one was no where near as great as the others. This one was pretty weak. However, I do like the last scene.
3. Mr. Monk Makes a Friend...I have mixed feelings about this episode. I love the hockey scene, but I don't like the fact that Monk cannot seem to make a friend outside of the gang.

That makes an even ten points, so I think I will stop.

OMG--I forgot Can't See A Thing--that has to go into my favorites! Hilarious! It's one of my keepers on my DVR. That whole scene with Monk walking on the beam thinking he was hundreds of feet in the air. Stellar.

Hee, it is hard isn't it? I thought I'd suggest 3 on each list otherwise some may not have had the time to join in and I'd miss out on all this fabulous insight! I could easily post my top 60 favorite episodes - although there is not a stand-out episode that I don't like, there are just some that mean more to me than others.

Like I'd forgotten about one scene in another favorite '... and the billionaire mugger' when Monk visits the 2 sisters and at the last minute recalls he's been there before. It looks as though Trudy had an apt at 5.30pm to visit one of the sisters (she had a dead dog in her lounge) on the day she died. It's now 5 seasons on and we've never gone back to this! This episode also has one of my favorite laugh out loud moments when during the summation Mr Monk tells the assembled crowd, including the 2 killers that 'fraidy cop' is performing at diner theater that week.

And, in my 'less-liked' list, '... bumps his head' I love the work up to the double-handed joke about Monk's name, ie 'What's my name?', 'Jerry', 'uh'. And later when he meets up with the gang, 'What's my name?', 'Adrian', 'no seriously, what's my name?'

Where was my Monk head? I should have picked 5 and 5 and at least the finished lists would have added up to Monk's favourite number, a nice, round, even 10.

I forget a lot of the episodes, but here goes. I gave 8 stars to the very best, and 4 stars to the next best, and no stars to the rest....... You can use this link to recall all the episodes:
http://epguides.com/Monk/

My favorites in episode order:
6. 1- 6 T1105 9 Aug 02 Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum ****
10. 1-10 T1108 20 Sep 02 Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation ****
11. 1-11 T1109 4 Oct 02 Mr. Monk and the Earthquake ****
13. 1-13 T1111 18 Oct 02 Mr. Monk and the Airplane
15. 2- 2 T1403 27 Jun 03 Mr. Monk Goes to Mexico
18. 2- 5 T1405 25 Jul 03 Mr. Monk and the Very, Very Old Man
22. 2- 9 T1410 22 Aug 03 Mr. Monk and the 12th Man ****
24. 2-11 T1411 23 Jan 04 Mr. Monk and the Three Pies
31. 3- 2 T-2103 25 Jun 04 Mr. Monk and the Panic Room ****
33. 3- 4 T-2104 16 Jul 04 Mr. Monk Gets Fired
36. 3- 7 T-2108 6 Aug 04 Mr. Monk and the Employee of the Month
40. 3-11 T-3012 28 Jan 05 Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra
41. 3-12 T-3011 4 Feb 05 Mr. Monk Gets Cabin Fever
43. 3-14 T-3016 18 Feb 05 Mr. Monk Goes to Vegas ********
45. 3-16 T-3015 4 Mar 05 Mr. Monk and the Kid
46. 4- 1 T-2353 8 Jul 05 Mr. Monk and the Other Detective
47. 4- 2 T-2357 15 Jul 05 Mr. Monk Goes Home Again ****
49. 4- 4 T-2352 29 Jul 05 Mr. Monk Goes to the Office
55. 4-10 T-2366 13 Jan 06 Mr. Monk Goes to a Fashion Show
61. 4-16 T-2365 17 Mar 06 Mr. Monk Gets Jury Duty
62. 5- 1 503 7 Jul 06 Mr. Monk and the Actor ********
68. 5- 7 506 18 Aug 06 Mr. Monk Gets a New Shrink ********
70. 5- 9 509 17 Nov 06 Mr. Monk Meets His Dad ****
72. 5-11 512 19 Jan 07 Mr. Monk Makes A Friend
77. 5-16 515 2 Mar 07 Mr. Monk Goes to the Hospital ****
76. 5-15 517 23 Feb 07 Mr. Monk and the Really, Really Dead Guy ****
78. 6- 1 13 Jul 07 Mr. Monk and His Biggest Fan ********
80. 6- 3 603 27 Jul 07 Mr. Monk and the Naked Man
81. 6- 4 604 3 Aug 07 Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend
86. 6- 9 609 14 Sep 07 Mr. Monk Is Up All Night
89. 6-12 611 18 Jan 08 Mr. Monk Goes to the Bank
91. 6-14 614 1 Feb 08 Mr. Monk Paints His Masterpiece
92. 6-15 615 15 Feb 08 Mr. Monk Is on the Run (1)
93. 6-16 616 22 Feb 08 Mr. Monk Is on the Run (2)
95. 7- 2 702 25 Jul 08 Mr. Monk and the Genius ********
96. 7- 3 703 1 Aug 08 Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever ********

Worst episodes in no particular order:
75. 5-14 516 9 Feb 07 Mr. Monk Visits a Farm
69. 5- 8 507 25 Aug 06 Mr. Monk Goes to a Rock Concert
67. 5- 6 508 11 Aug 06 Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion
58. 4-13 T-2364 3 Feb 06 Mr. Monk and the Big Reward
26. 2-13 T1414 6 Feb 04 Mr. Monk and the Missing Granny
21. 2- 8 T1408 15 Aug 03 Mr. Monk Meets the Playboy
3. 1- 3 T1102 19 Jul 02 Mr. Monk and the Psychic
50. 4- 5 T-2355 5 Aug 05 Mr. Monk Gets Drunk
30. 3- 1 T-2101 18 Jun 04 Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan
85. 6- 8 608 7 Sep 07 Mr. Monk and the Wrong Man
35. 3- 6 T-2107 30 Jul 04 Mr. Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf
94. 7- 1 701 18 Jul 08 Mr. Monk Buys A House
97. 7- 4 704 8 Aug 08 Mr. Monk Takes a Punch

=============================================

Good thread. My opinions change when I rewatch the shows. My favorite three at the moment are:
1. Biggest Fan -- maybe no terrific moments, but very well written and funny throughout. No flaws, and the most jokes per minute, good bantering. Sarah Silverman very good. Amazing good episode.
2. Gets a New Shrink -- perhaps the best episode. So many good scenes. Just some of them are: Harold and Monk arguing over who has first appointment, Monk going through his and Harold's files while investigating murder scene, and Monk going through the stages of grief.
3. The Actor -- Stanley Tucci great, and wonderful the way he developed Monk's characteristics. Liked the scene where a female actor plays Randy in the movie.

The worst -- hard to pick. I seem to forget the worst ones, and many of them. Here are three:
1. The Wrong Man -- didn't like the guest stars. Good idea (possible conviction of innocent man), but poor story here.
2. Big Reward -- also didn't like the guest stars. The screwball comedy aspects were too much for me -- silly the way Monk couldn't do his thing without cluing in those three other detective. (I also thought the Garbage Strike was too much, like Monk ready to nail wrong suspect just to end the strike. Disgusting.)
3. Girl Who Cried Wolf -- incredible story. Didn't like his new nurse, repulsed by her.
4. Visits a Farm -- had to mention it, one of the worst. Almost forgot it.

========================

It always amuses me that some episodes I like, others consider to be the worst, and visa versa.

So far in this thread, some that were considered poor, I liked:
¶ Cobra -- I liked Randy in it, the visit to the Cobra hobby shop, Monk's visit to the Chinese meditation/martial arts center. The whole idea of analyzing the death and resurrection of a cult hero was clever.
¶ Hospital -- great episode, so many funny moments in the waiting room. Good guest actors -- Dunning and Butler. Natalie role good here.
¶ Earthquake -- used to be one of my top favorites. I loved the bantering between Sharona and sister Gail!
¶ Biggest Fan, and Other Detective -- I liked the guest stars. Other Detective had a poor plot, but whole idea of Monk being upstaged (temporarily) and trying to cope was great fun.
¶ Meets His Dad -- a lot of fun, interesting. Maybe it didn't answer all the questions about Monk's early years, and could have been better, but I enjoyed what was shown.
¶ On the Air, and Finds a Friend -- both a mite unsettling, but interesting. Good exposition of Monk's character. Different, nice to see the show take a chance.
¶ Dentist -- not so bad. Good to see Randy in a big part.

Finally, these episodes some have liked, but turned me off:
¶ Takes Manhattan -- I didn't like the anti-New York scenes, mean. Typical poor crime plot -- the murderer left some incriminating jewelry in his coat, which the ambassador takes by mistake, so the murder pursues the ambassador to shoot-up his party to retrieve the jewels. Why couldn't he just tap the ambassador on the shoulder, explain the error and retrieve his coat? And if for some reason the ambassador was a crook and didn't want to give up the coat/jewelry, then the murderer could shoot up the group. (The end of the episode ,of course, was sweet -- about the pain killer tube.)
¶ Red-Headed Stranger -- didn't like the murderer. Forget why I especially didn't like it though.
¶ Garbage Strike -- seemed over the top, silly. Mailing his garbage to Kroger. Ready to pin the murder on anyone just to end the strike, etc. I don't like when they make Monk too silly, a caricature.
¶ Can't See a Thing. Depressing. Also turned off by Monk blind, yet sensing that one of six (?) raincoats was missing; and sensing car make from feeling burned imprint of key in fire damaged apartment while blind!!!! (Natalie "saving" him on beam was cute.)

I forgot i hated On the air...Poor monk, I know how it is To be ridculed
I Loved red headed stranger... First monk episode,
Blind one..."I am not suicidal...I just wish i was never born" overdid it

ooooh, Chip, you have your list ooooh well organised, very Monkish! I've been back and forth on your 8 star and 4 star ratings to try and compare to mine (though mine is carried around in my head).

Interesting take on the Manhattan episode - so far this one has been universally agreed upon as a Monk classic (well, I think of it as a classic, in terms of how I would introduce someone to the show, ie watch 'Manhattan' and perhaps not 'goes to hospital', which I note is one of your favorites). But you've got me thinking now, why didn't the killer just exchange coats, why draw more attention by taking out 3 more people?

On your 'worst' list, agree with 'visits a farm' but even on my less-liked eps, there's always something that will hook me. For this one, couldn't take my eyes of the awful wig they gave Brooke to wear, it's just looked like a wig. Best bit, I started to like the killer at the end. In just one look, he acknowledged that he knew what Monk was doing for Randy and didn't say anything - kind of liked him for that!

'... Garbage' liked, but did think Monk was at the top end of selfishness when he sent his rubbish to Doctor Kroger, that was inconsiderate. '... the Granny' not the best mystery, but love it for 2 things: Randy asking if an antique chair will swivel, and how the enormity of Monk's condition overwhelms him when taking the exam - beautiful and succinct way to show despite his brilliance, Monk is limited by everyday things.

Hard to list 3 favorites I have many more
The funniest- Airplane, Jury Duty, New Shrink
The most moving- Kid, Blind, Up All Night,
I liked less -Friend, Other Detective, Biggest Fan

most-liked:

Mr. Monk and the Naked Man. This is so funny, I can't believe it isn't on more people's list.
Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale. Another excellent episode.
Mr. Monk is up all night.

Least-liked:

Mr. Monk is on the air.
Mr. Monk is on the run. Part 2. Sorry, I just didn't think it lived up to the hype.
Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum.

Out of the 94 episodes so far it is impossible to choose my top 3, maybe the top 60!!!! I seriously love them all!! You know, just like all of you, certain scenes in each episode are just too funny and are my favorites!!! Somewhere near the top these appeal to me; "Takes His Medicine" "Gets Drunk" (The summation!) and "The Leper" "The Farm" "The Run" and all the multitude of other #1 episodes! OK, if I must, somewhere near the bottom would go, "The Wrong Man" and "Other Detective." Stressful task!!

The summations have to be some of my favorite moments in Monk, I especially like Monk Gets Drunk' - one of funniest drunk scenes, ever. Hot on the heels of that is Randy and Monk's double handed summation in 'Mr. Monk Gets Cabin Fever' and although 'Mr. Monk Visits a Farm' isn't a stand-out episode for me, I do like the way Monk allows Randy to do the summation and is genuinely proud of him for getting the vital piece of evidence himself.

Maybe I should start a new thread on favourite summations!

Top Eppys for me:

The Bad Girlfriend
The one with the chimp (where TL goes off on the chimp)
The one where Karen Stott is shot (yeah!) the garbage strike?

Worst:

Last weeks eppy MR MONK BUYS A HOUSE

Well, it is very difficult to pick my favorite episodes.....to many. However, I do have reservations about episodes when in the opening sequence they show who killed who and why. ALREADY?????!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know that the main idea of Monk is how they did it, because most of the time there is only one suspect, but WHY GIVE IT AWAY??!?!?!?

Least Favorites

1. Mr. Monk gets Stuck in Traffic
2.Mr. Monk goes to a Rock Concert
3. Mr. Monk gets Cabin Fever

Favorites

1. Mr. Monk and the Kid....goes without saying
2.Mr. Monk and the Candidate, when we first meet Monk cause his OCD habits are the most evident
3.Mr. Mok and the Cobra, I was in tears!!

Also, I think Dale the Whale is a rather stupid character, an 800 pound man who hasn't left his bed in 11 years and knows everything about Monk? However, he is a necessary character.......

My favourite episode for this week - Mr. Monk and the naked man. I found this epy so hilarious!

"The guard gives Singer an apple. Singer chews the apple core into the shape of a key. He fashions a rudimentary kiln using that light bulb and a sardine can. He hardens the apple core in his kiln and uses it to pick the lock. Thank you.” - like the one with Alice Cooper, this theory is magnificent!

and at the end when the nudist hugs Adrian, says "you're a good huger, you smell good!" and Monk goes to drown himself straight into the sea... yeah it's definitely my episode for this week.

--------

Also I just realized I don't like Mr. Monk and the class reunion as much as other epys. I just think that the 'young Monk' didn't suit 'the Monk we know today' very well.. He was even more similar to Ambrose than Adrian there. Monk's sociable skills aren't that bad. The 'Kid Monk' in Mr. Monk and the little Monk was played a lot better.

As I said in my intro post earlier this week, I'm totally new to Monk and crammed the entire series into a fairly fast-paced viewing stretch recently. So if I were to take a closer look, my choices would probably change! Nevertheless, here they are in no particular order.

Most-liked:
- Mr. Monk Gets Married
- Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine
- Mr. Monk and His Biggest Fan
(I almost included "Mr. Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf" because I liked the story and thought Bitty did a good job in that one. However, I didn't care for Niecy Nash at all in it, which was disappointing because she's a hoot in "Reno 911.")

Least-liked:
- Mr. Monk Goes to the Dentist
- Mr. Monk Visits a Farm
- Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike


Matt
www.emptynestonline.net

Good taste, makes me feel good. I was getting worried, an awful lot of people here loved "Garbage Strike" for some weird reason, mybe Alice Cooper. I thought it was silly (mailing garbage to his doctor, pinning the murder on anyone so as to stop the strike. Ughh!.) ... ..... And Biggest Fan is my favorite Monk.

I enjoyed "Garbage strike" a lot. Not only because of the theory with Alice Cooper. I just couldn't stop laughing at the Monk - mayor conversation (burning the city down, man!). Also, mailing garbage to doc - that's so..so monkish! Maybe these episodes ("Garbage strike", "Naked man") were so hilarious for me beacause of Monk being so desperate here and creating theories that even Randy wouldn't have thought of them!

I remember watching 'Biggest Fan' and not being too taken with it (think it's the dog teeth murder weapon) but having seen it a few times now, there are some lines that I just love, like Sarah Silverman's 'take it like a man' instruction to Monk when moving in for yet another 'clue hug' and how Monk's discomfort with clue hugging in general keeps bubbling up, even in the summation, 'Marci, there's no hugging during the 'Here's what happened!''

The expression on Sarah Silverman's face when we're first introduced to Natalie as a troll doll is priceless and, it's also one of the few episodes where Monk's sense of humour peeks out when during the closing scene Monks says, 'Oh hey, look it's you' to Natalie after Marci returns all her Monk memorabilia including the troll doll.

My Three Favorites

1. The Girl Who Cried Wolf-I just love how for almost an hour we think Sharona is going insane. And it was really, pretty creepy. Loved it! They don't play it much anymore, though.
2. Three Julies-I think it had a lot of great punchlines in it. I especially loved the scene where Randy was dressed like the old granny and he hissed into the microphone "I wish there were ten of them!"
3. New Shrink-I love the arguments between Harold and Adrian in this one. And how they showed even the "perfect" psychiatrist has a dysfunctional family. Pure genius. My favorite Stanley Kamel-based episode.

My Three Least Favorites

1. The Kid-Don't get me wrong, I think Tommy is the cutest little boy ever, but seriously, doesn't anyone else think they play it just a tad too much? Sorry, sorry, I know it's a lot of people's favorite. You may now feel free to hurl metal sporks at my head.
2. Goes To Vegas-Another one that I think is played way too often. I pretty much have it memorized.
3. Rapper- I detest rap music, and I really just don't think this episode was all that funny. Okay, I did think the part was funny about "What is this? Good cop, Demented cop?!?!" and Randy getting all in his face about "We do rap music too!" But, I wouldn't watch the full episode again just to see that part.

-Chik/Jenny

I agree, just for the record - it's not one of my favorites too. Maybe too much emotions there, I don't know...and the whole finger thing.. (I really felt sorry for that violo guy though) Not quite monkish epy. A little too overplayed.

Although there are many great episodes, the garbage strike, mexico, etc. There is only one that I feel in love with and only one. Yes I could watch re-runs and still enjoy them. But only one that I truely loved.



MR. MONK AND THE KID



Reunite Tommy and Monk!!!!

Most liked:
1. Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike (I liked this because it was hilarious..Monk sending his garbage to Dr. Kroger..nothing to do with Alice at all!)
2. Mr. Monk and the Naked Man (everything about this was hilarious, Monk's reactions to the naked guy..)
3. Mr. Monk Gets Cabin Fever

Least liked:
1. Mr. Monk and the Birds and the Bees (this one bored me)
2. Mr. Monk and the Three Julies
3. Mr. Monk and the Rapper

My 3 favorites:

1) Mr. Monk and the Kid - Tommy and Monk were sooooo cute together. A really great episode!
2) Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine - Absolutely hilarious!
3) (tie) Mr. Monk is on the Run Part I - great writing and acting; Mr. Monk Gets Drunk - another hilarious episode; best summation ever!

My 3 least favorites:

1) Mr. Monk and the Wrong Man - confusing
2) Mr. Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf - only because it kind of scared me when I watched it
3) Mr. Monk................okay can't think of a third one

The worst episodes on this show are better than the best episodes on other shows I've watched so I'm not really complaining. The worst Monk episode imo is Mr. Monk goes home because I laughed the least and the Natalie/Ambrose thing was creepy. My favorite episodes (there's so many though) would include Mr Monk and the Naked Man, Mr Monk goes to the Office, Mr Monk goes to the Bank, and On the Run, oh and the paints his materpiece one. I think each season this show just keeps getting funnier.

I'm glad someone else gets the heebie-jeebies watching the '... Cried Wolf' episode, too much blood, guts and gore for me and a very dark storyline for Sharona. Loved the replacement nurse though!

Mr monk meets the red headed stranger. Because i love Willie nelson
Mr Monk goes to mexico..... cracking up with teh drug references
Mr Monk and the garbage strike

Mr monk and the kid...To emotionlly upsetting
(the season premire) Mr monk buys a house.... Hard to follow
the one where he goes to the reunion...To upsetting

It is definitely very hard to narrow the field to just three most-liked. Hmmmmmm, mine would have to be (as of right now, it could change tomorrow)

#1 The Kid The epi just grabbed me in the opening scenes, and tugged my little heart strings throughout. When Monk was reading the story to Tommy, and saying that Mr Monk knew he couldn't keep Tommy----pass the tissues and then pass me some more.

#2 Takes His Medicine I loved "The Monk" and his red mustang.

#3 For right now, guess it'd be Panic Room. Stott interrogating the monkey. Even my hubby LOL out loud at that scene, and he is in no way a Monk fan.

Least favorite???

#1 The Rapper Hate rap music, didn't even want to watch the epi because of that.

#2 The Other Detective I cannot stand Jason Alexander, either, and his appearance in this epi didn't alter my opinion of him one bit.

#3 The Big Reward Too Keystone-Kops for my taste

I will say that #2 and #3 of least favorite list are the only two that I would not watch ever again.

Meme